Jury Mulls Whether Military Info Was Open Secret

A federal jury in Santa Ana, Calif., is deliberating the fate of an engineer accused of exporting or trying to export military information to China.

After Chi Mak’s 2005 arrest, anonymous intelligence officials suggested the damage he inflicted on national security could rival that of John A. Walker Jr., accused of passing information to the Soviets for 17 years.

But Mak was never charged with espionage, according to the Los Angeles Times. Instead he was indicted for export law violations and failing to register as a Chinese agent.

Defense attorneys say the engineering reports in Mak’s possession had been delivered at U.S. engineering symposiums that were open to foreigners.